Storing Antiques
Published on 8/6/2024
In this post, we’re going to dive into the strategies involved in placing valued antique furniture and other collectible pieces in storage. This can apply to those of you who are just looking at a short-term, stop-gap solution as well as customers who foresee needing storage for months or years.
Who might this apply to? Some of you may be antique collectors who are always on the lookout for that new piece, whether it involves acquiring an item that’s in nearly pristine condition or finding a diamond in the rough that requires a little restoration to make it worthy of display in the home or office. Another common scenario these days is one in which a relative passes on and hands their antiques down to you and your family.
Whichever is the case, it’s possible that you could be in a situation where you have more antiques than you can accommodate or display in your house, but perhaps for practical or even sentimental reasons, you’re not quite ready to part with them. That’s when storage can come in handy. Volunteer Storage is ready to be your solution when it comes to safeguarding those precious collectibles.
We offer a secure location for protecting your valuable antiques. Our customers benefit from 24-hour, drive-up access as well as onsite security and can rest assured that our digital video surveillance provides a strong deterrent to intruders.
Also, we have climate-control units available, which we recommend when it comes to storing antiques. Temperature fluctuations, extreme humidity and rapidly changing East Tennessee weather can lead to warping, deterioration and mold. Only a climate-controlled unit will provide the best level of protection.
When it comes to preparing your antiques for storage, we have several pieces of advice. Use acid-free tissue paper, packing peanuts, foam padding and bubble wrap to create an insulating layer around each item. That will help protect from shifting and impact and provide another barrier against temperature fluctuations.
We also recommend compiling a detailed inventory of your stored antiques. This will streamline the retrieval process when you wish to return to storage to pull an item out for home use.
While we do offer multiple security measures, we suggest taking further steps to protect your antiques by investing in a secure, high-quality padlock and consider installing your own in-unit security camera as a further deterrent.
Finally, consider having your antiques insured. This may already be covered under your homeowners’ policy, but if not, a specialized policy on your collectibles could give you added peace of mind should the unlikely happen.